Between Gowon and the Purveyors of Fake News

By Zayd Ibn Isah

The nation recently found itself in a state of confusion when rumors of the sudden death of a former Head of State and a revered elder statesman, General Yakubu Gowon, started making the rounds on social media. I first encountered this news on Elon Musk’s X platform (formerly Twitter) and, regrettably, fell victim to the misinformation. Normally, when I come across such news, I turn to my senior journalist friends and mentors, particularly Alhaji Yushau Shuaib, a PR expert and my trusted fact-checker. He has consistently provided accurate information, even in the dead of night.

However, my vulnerability to the news of Yakubu Gowon’s supposed demise wasn’t due to the belief that the death of an octogenarian is inconsequential in Nigeria. After all, the average life expectancy for Nigerians is 60 for males and 64 for females. Instead, I was influenced by the fact that even reputable news outlets and celebrated figures were paying their respects. I felt a personal need to pay tribute to him, too.

Yakubu Gowon holds a special place in my heart. He is one of the great Nigerians I often invoke when defending young individuals accused by their family members or colleagues of running faster than their shadows because they dare to dream big. When confronted with this argument about young people pushing beyond their limits, I often pose this rhetorical question: “Do you know that General Yakubu Gowon led this country at the age of 31?” I emphasize this point with an anonymous quote I saw somewhere on social media: “No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big.”

Now, back to General Yakubu Gowon. Reacting to the news of the death of his Principal, the Personal Aide to the former Military Head of State, Adeyeye Ajayi, affirmed that the Octogenarian is still alive, hale, and hearty. “I am still around and well. I am not in a hurry,” the statement quoted the former military leader as saying.

Gowon’s false death news is just one example of the numerous false pieces of information in our public space. Over the years, fake news has become a thriving industry in Nigeria, largely due to the proliferation of media. Anyone, from Ruqayyah to Chidinma, Kemi, or Ojonugwa, can comfortably share information on social media, and before you say “Sam,” it becomes a hot topic of national discussion. It can even lead to debates of my tribe is better than your tribe or my thief is better than your thief.

Fake news conversations often go like this: “Have you heard?” “Heard what?” “They say the President has passed away and was replaced by his look-alike from Sudan.” “Oh really? Where did you hear that?” “It was on Facebook.” “Why would foreigners agree to clone the body of our President?” “You’ve always been a doubting Thomas, but don’t forget that money can make anything happen in this world.” “It didn’t happen with Yar’adua, so why with Buhari? What makes his case different, tell me”. My friend, you won’t understand even if I explained it to you until the second coming of Jesus. So, there’s no point wasting my time with you.” And the conversation ends there. If the fake news consumer is the type that believes whatever he or she hears, he goes home with the information and spreads it, until it becomes like a national anthem.

This was the situation with former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who went to London for his routine medical check-up. News of his death started filtering in after some time, and it appeared we were about to witness another sad case of losing a sitting President. However, the whole death news turned out to be false as the President returned to the country after 104 days. But his detractors were not pleased with his return. They started with the narrative of a body double, comparing his old pictures with the new ones and suggesting differences in his ears and nose. This led to the claim that this was not the real Buhari who was elected in 2015 but an imposter from Sudan named Jubril. Many, even the well-informed, bought into this narrative. I lost count of how many times my friends asked if the man in Aso Rock was the real Buhari. The former President undoubtedly became a survivor of fake news in Nigeria. At one point, rumors were so strong that he was marrying his Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq. Even a card for the supposed wedding circulated on social media with a date, venue, and time. I’m sure the former President will look back on all of these and shakes his head now. Nigeria never lags behind in anything. We no dey carry last.

Numerous factors fuel the fake news and rumor mills in Nigeria. In addition to the unfortunate gullibility of many Nigerians, emotions and dogma play significant roles. In this country, expressing a dissenting opinion from a widely held belief can lead to accusations and labels. This was vividly seen with former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. Northerners who insisted that the man in Aso Rock was the real Buhari faced accusations of blind regional support. Even Nigerians from other regions who attempted to be objective were accused of being influenced by bribes to distort the facts. As a nation, this environment is far from ideal for a healthy public discourse.

Successive Nigerian governments have made significant efforts to combat the rising tide of fake news. But, the battle against this scourge appears like a mountainous task with the increase of social media platforms. Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act of 2015 explicitly criminalizes the dissemination of false information. The Act states: “Any person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other material through computer systems or networks that is grossly offensive, pornographic, or of an indecent, obscene, or menacing nature, or causes any such message or material to be so transmitted, or he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will, or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be transmitted, commits an offense under this Act and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine of not more than N7,000,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

Despite this legal provision, purveyors of fake news continue their trade. After all, man must survive, even if it is at the expense of the nation’s security interests.

But we must persist in our efforts to fight this ugly scourge and those behind it. Besides ensuring that fake news merchants face the full wrath of the law, citizens should be educated about the importance of scrutinizing information before accepting it unquestionably. Fake news is a pernicious ailment that can spread faster than even the most virulent cancer on a wide scale. With that said, journalists have a significant role to play in the battle against misinformation. They should prioritize the nation’s interests over personal interests.

I am relieved that our elder statesman is alive and has expressed his desire to continue living for many more years and contribute his quota to the growth and development of our dear nation. As the Yorubas would say, “Igba odún odún kan”.

Zayd Ibn Isah can be reached via: [email protected]